The Illinois Commerce Commission plans to spend more than $194 million on safety-improvement projects for railroad crossings over the next five fiscal years.
Funding for these projects comes from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF), which was created to help counties, townships and municipalities pay for safety improvements at highway-railroad crossings on local roads and streets only.
Each month $3.25 million in state motor fuel tax receipts is transferred to the GCPF, providing $39 million annually for safety improvements at highway-rail crossings on local roads and streets.
Local governments submit the projects to the ICC for evaluation and approval under priorities set for such projects.
- High Collision History -- Upgrading public highway-rail grade crossings which have a history of train/vehicle collisions, or the likelihood of future collisions. The plan will address safety improvements at as many of these crossing locations as possible.
- Rail Corridors -- Improving public highway-rail grade crossings in rail corridors where conventional speed passenger trains operate.
- Highway and Pedestrian Grade Separations (Bridges) -- Locations where blockages at grade crossings cause substantial motorist or emergency vehicle delay, or where heavy traffic presents a heightened threat of train/vehicle collisions. Funds also may be used to help local communities construct pedestrian bridges where necessary to improve safety.
- Interconnected Crossings -- Improving highway-rail grade crossings that require interconnecting crossing warning signals with traffic control signals at adjacent highway intersections.
Assuming that local funding will be available when needed, this ICC five-year plan includes:
- New or reconstructed grade separations at 16 locations.
- Automatic warning devices or upgraded circuitry at nearly 195 crossings.
- Low-cost improvements, such as repairing pavement, at more than 500 crossings.
Here, listed by county with the total project cost -- are the CCPF projects planned for the WNIJ listening area. Each item includes the city or town where the work will be done, the roadway where the crossing exists, the activities planned for the project, and the estimated total cost -- including any local contributions.
Boone County -- $310,000
- Belvidere: S Appleton Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $310,000
Bureau County – $1,325,000
- Mineral: Lincoln Street, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $345,000
- Mineral: Central Street, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $370,000
- Neponset: CR 100 E, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $300,000
- Tiskilwa: CR 1790 E, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $310,000
Carroll County -- $3,741,000
- Lanark: Grange Road Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $270,000
- Milledgeville: Ideal Road, Reconstruct Grade Separation $3,471,000
DeKalb County -- $1,140,000
- Shabbona: Lee Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $300,000
- Shabbona: Chicago Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $280,000
- Shabbona: Rollo Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $280,000
- Shabbona: Suydam Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $280,000
DuPage County -- $34,706,084
- Elmhurst: York Road, Construct Pedestrian Grade Separation $5,100,000
- Aurora: North Aurora Road, Construct Grade Separation $29,000,000
- Lemont: Lemont Road, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $99,997
- Elmhurst: Maple Avenue, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $219,284
- Elmhurst: Myrtle Avenue, Reconstruct Crossing Surface; Remove Track; Relocate Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Relocate Gates $286,803
Jo Daviess County – $2,285,762
- Nora: E Canyon Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $325,000
- Apple River Canyon: Park Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $295,000
- Scales Mound: N Watson Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $290,000
- Scales Mound: Council Hill Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $270,000
- Scales Mound: N Hill Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $295,000
- Galena: W Buckhill Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $250,000
- Galena: Bouthiller Street, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $270,000
- Galena: S Main Street, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $270,000
- East Dubuque: Frentress Lake Road, Install Gates; Modify Automatic Flashing Light Signals $20,762
Kane County -- $17,801,401
- Big Rock: Dauberman Road, Construct Grade Separation $15,000,000
- Elgin: Coombs Road, Reconstruct Grade Separation $2,250,000
- Elgin: Lawrence Avenue, Install Gates; Modify Automatic Flashing Light Signals $260,000
- Aurora: Rathbone Avenue, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $67,170
- Aurora: Old Indian Trail, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $72,227
- Aurora: Pierce Street, Reconstruct Crossing Surface, $85,704
- Aurora: Clearwater Drive, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $66,300
Kendall County -- $580,000
- Oswego: North Street, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $290,000
- Oswego: W Jackson Street, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $290,000
LaSalle County -- $1,822,500
- Streator: Cross Street, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $280,000
- Troy Grove: Vermillion Street, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $270,000
- Troy Grove: N 41st Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $310,000
- Troy Grove: E 9th Road, Close Public Crossing; Construct Access Road $65,000
- Troy Grove: N 39th Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $310,000
- Troy Grove: N 3809th, Close Public Crossing; Remove Public Crossing $97,500
- Wedron: E 2153rd Road, Install Crossing Surface; Install Gates; Modify Automatic Flashing Light Signals $490,000
Lee County -- $300,000
- Steward: Steward Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $300,000
McHenry County $1,100,000
- Crystal Lake: Main Street, Install Gates $100,000
- Crystal Lake: Crystal Lake Avenue, Install Interconnect $450,000
- Harvard: Oak Grove Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $300,000
- Solon Mills: E Kuhn Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $250,000
Ogle County -- $20,089,245
- Chana: E Fowler Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $320,000
- Chana: S Skare Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $320,000
- Chana: E Hemstock Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $320,000
- Chana: E Grist Mill Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $320,000
- Chana: S Stone Hill Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $320,000
- Polo: N Union Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $300,000
- Byron: Mill Road, Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $290,000
- Rochelle: First Avenue, Construct Grade Separation; Close Public Crossing $17,800,000
- Oregon: S Blackhawk Road, Reconstruct Crossing Surface $61,245
- Davis Junction: Blackwood Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $380,000
Stephenson County -- $2,365,000
- Freeport: S Farwell Bridge Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $260,000
- Freeport: Holland Church Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $260,000
- Freeport Harlem Center Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $260,000
- Lena: Bridge Street, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $285,000
- Lena: Five Corners Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $335,000
- Lena: Crossroads Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $290,000
- Lena: Waddams Grove Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Gates; Modify Automatic Flashing Light Signals $360,000
- Lena: N Baker Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $315,000
Winnebago County -- $1,578,591
- Winnebago: Markham Road, Reconstruct Approaches; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals; Install Gates $310,000
- Winnebago: Spielman Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $260,000
- Freeport: Klinger Road, Install Gates; Install Automatic Flashing Light Signals $315,000
- Rockford: 11th Street, Install Crossing Surface $156,329
- Rockford: Centerville Road, Install Crossing Surface $108,682
- Rockford: Central Avenue, Install Crossing Surface $139,380
- Cherry Valley: Perryville Road, Reconstruct Grade Separation $289,200